Delivery case



April 15, 1952 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 Filed Sept. 20, 1947 HTTOPNEVS April 15, 1952 E. R. ERICKSON 2,592,797

DELIVERY CASE.

Filed Sept. 20. 1947 2 SHEETSSHEET 2 Patented Apr. 15, 1952 UNITED" mm gg FFICE DELIVERY CASE Ernest R. Erickson, Des Moines, Iowa, assignoi to C. E. Erickson Company, Ina, Des Moines. Iowa, a corporation of Iowa Application September 750, 1947, Serial No. 775,307

1 Glaim,

This invention relates to a light weight yet sturdy delivery case adaptable for delivering botties, loaves of bread or other items.

One object of the invention is to provide delivery case which is made of metal, preferably aluminum or aluminum alloy for lightness, whereby the case will stand up under ordinary use for many years without requiring replacement.

Another object is to provide a case which is easily fabricated of side and end panels and a bottom panel with reinforcing posts at the co." ners, the parts being riveted together to form sturdy delivery case.

Still another object is to provide a case which can be formed of either three or five panels in additlon to the corner posts with all panels and posts readily formed of sheet metal in. forming dies and the panels so formed with reinforcing ribs and a rolled upper edge that they resist undesirable bending out of shape and are long-lass ing providing they are used with reasonable care.

A further object is to provide a delivery case which is so designed as to provide ease of cleaning so that the cases can be kept in a sanitary condition with a minimum of labor and time.

Still a further object is to provide a carrying case in which side and end panels, and a bottom panel which is provided with upstanding flanges to be riveted to the side and end panels, reinforcing angles being included in the riveted joint for providing a wear surface and further reinforcing the bottom edges of the case.

An additional object is to provide corner posts which are angle shape in cross section and provided with reinforcing beads to interfit with those of the side and end panels, the panels terminating short of each other when assembled by riveting in relation to the posts so that the corners of the case may be easily cleaned, the lower corners of each panel being cutaway for also facilitating ease of cleaning and the corner posts being provided with openings for readily draining out any washing solution used to clean the delivery cases.

Another additional object is to provide novel handle members for the carrying ease to facilitate the handling of the cases either when filled or empty.

Still another additional object is to provide the cases so designed that the marginal bottom of one case may fit in the top of another case so that a plurality of the cases can be stacked in a delivery truck or warehouse. V I

A further additional object is to provide gliders which may be riveted to the corners of the delivery case so as to space the lower edge of the case aslight distance above the floor surface to permit the entry of the lip of a hand truck when used-to engage and support a stack of cases for transporting them from one position to another.

With these and other objects in View, my invention consists in the construction, arrangement combination of the variousp artsof my delivery case whereby the objects contemplated are attained, as hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in my claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a delivery case embodying my invention, the particular case shown being of the proper proportions for some twenty or twenty-four quart-size cardboard cartons of milk although of course it can be made in different sizes and proportions for other com modities.

Fig. 2 is aplan view of one corner of the delivery case, this View being approximately full size. 4

Figure 3 is an end view of my delivery case showing approximately one-half of the case.

Figure l is a side view of the case showing approximately one-third thereof and illustrating a portion of a second case stacked inthe first case.

Figure 5 is a sectional view on the line 55 of Figure 4.

Figure 6 is an enlarged sectional View on the line 65 of Figure 3.

Figure '7 is a perspective view of one of the corner posts of my delivery case.

I Figure?) is a perspective view of a handle insert used in connection with the delivery case.

Figure 9 is a perspective View of a portion of one side or end panel of the case.

Figure 10 is a perspective view of a lower corner 2 the case, the case being laid on its side.

l igure 11 is a perspective viewof a glider for attachment to the bottom of the case, and

, Figure 12 is sectional view through a modified construction wherein two panels and the bottom of the case are formed integral with each other.

On the accompanying drawings 1 haveused the reference numeral Iii to indicate a bottom men beriorrned oi sheet'alum inum or the like. The bottom 'rdember it has upstanding 'side flanges i2 and upstanding end flanges MI U1 A pair of side panels i5 are provided and these are riveted to the flanges 62 by means of rivets Itfl- Incorporated in the riveted joint is a flange Ell of an angle shaped reinforcing member, the other flange of which is indicated at 22. Two of these are provided for the sides It. g

A pair of end panels 2 are provided which are likewise riveted as at It, the riveted joint including the flanges 23 of reinforcing angles having other flanges 28. Two of these last angles also are provided for the end panels 26.

Theopen corners of the delivery case thus far described are connected together by corner posts P each of which has a pair of flanges 39 riveted as at 32 to the side and end panels l6 and 24. The corner posts P also have bottom flanges 34 3 extending under the bottom panel ill for supporting it.

The flanges 30 have extensions 36 which are riveted as at 38 to the side end panels. The extensions 36 are also provided with embossed projections 40, the purpose of which will hereinafter appear.

The upper edges of the panels i6 and 24 are reinforced by wrapping them around an aluminum rod 4! bent to rectangle shape. The panels I6 and 24 have down turned flanges 43 riveted as at 45 after extending around the rod 4!. All of the riveted connections I8, 32, 38 and 45 are of the countersunk type formed by embossing the material around the rivet hole as illustrated in the various sectional views so that the upset heads of the rivets are slightly less than flush with the inner surfaces of the side and end panels. The purpose of this is to prevent the cardboard cartons or other commodities placed in the delivery cases from catching on the rivets.

The end panels 24 are cut away as indicated at 42 to provide hand holes in conjunction with rolled edges 44 of the end panels which form hand grips. These hand grips are reinforced by means of reinforcing members 46 (see Figure 8) having perforated ears 48 riveted as at 50 to the end panels.

It will be noted that the ends of the end and side panels do not meet each other. in the corner posts P. This makes for ease of cleaning the vertical corners of the delivery case. The lower corners of the end and side panels are out back as indicated at 52 (Figure 9) which makes the lower corners of the posts easy to keep clean. These lower corners are also provided with drain openings 54 to readily drain out any washing solution that is used. Under ordinary conditions of use a daily spraying with washing solution will keep the delivery cases adequately clean and sanitary.

While I have thus far described the side and end panels as separate pieces in relation to the bottom panel, in some instances it is possible to form both the side panels and the bottom panel in a single piece as shown at 16c and 10a in Figure 12. Where the sheets of aluminum are of sufiicient size and the case is sufiiciently small this arrangement is possible and somewhat simplifies the manufacture of the delivery case. Where the cases are so large as to make it impossible to get three panels out of the sheet then the panels can be made separate and attached together as already described. With the arrangement in Figure 12 the bottom and side panels being of one piece, the reinforcing angles 20-22 are fitted around the lower corners as shown.

It will be noted that the side and end panels and the corner posts slant outwardly and upwardly to a slight degree. The purpose of this arrangement is so that the marginal bottom of one case may fit within the top of the next lower case as illustrated in Figures 4 and 5. Thus the cases whether loaded or empty may be stacked in a warehouse or delivery truck. The embossed projections 40 serve as limiting means to prevent too deep a nesting of one case in the next lower case and serve as supports for the second, third, etc. cases.

A glider fitting B is shown in Figure 11. The bottom of the case is provided with rivet holes 58 shown in Figure in which rivets 60 are located for fastening these feet to the bottom of the delivery case. The wear occasioned by sliding the cases over a truck or warehouse floor is then taken by the gliders instead of by the flanges 22, 28 and 34. These glider feet can be omitted however if they are not desired. Their main purpose is to space the flanges 22 sufiiciently far from a floor surface that the lip of a hand truck can be inserted under the lowermost case for receiving a stack of cases on the truck for transportation thereof.

The side and end panels are provided with reinforcing beads 62. The corner posts are provided with matching beads 64 which fit over the beads 62 and thus the panels of the delivery case are further reinforced against bending while at the same time tight riveted joints are possible by having the beads 64 closely fit the beads 62. A portion of the upper ends of each corner is offset outward slightly as at 66 to fit over the flanges 43.

The delivery case disclosed is rugged enough to last many years for its intended purpose and yet is light to handle and easy to clean. It can be kept in first class sanitary condition. Being made of sheet aluminum it can readily be embossed with the name of the owner by setting up appropriate lettering dies and embossing the letters in the panels [6 for instance between the beads 62 and between the upper beads 82 and the flange 43. The structure is neat in appearance and practical from the standpoint of use and wear.

Some changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of the parts of my device without departing from the real spirit and purpose of my invention, and it is my intention-to cover by my claim any modified forms of structure or use of mechanical equivalents which may be reasonably included within their slope.

I claim as my invention:

A delivery case comprising a bottom panel having upstanding flanges at its sides and ends, side and end panels riveted to said flanges, and corner posts of angle shape riveted to the ends of said side and end panel the flanges of said corner posts having inturned lower ends to form bottom corners for said posts, the lower corners of said side and end panels being out back to facilitate cleaning said bottom corners of said corner posts, said bottom corner having drain openings therein.

ERNEST R. ERICKSON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Great Britain Apr, 23, 1937 

